Monday, May 29, 2017

I had been wanting to make this recipe since a long time. So glad this month in our group, Shhhh Cooking Secretly the theme is " Stuffed " and I got a chance to try out this dish. I am paired with Veena Krishna Kumar who blogs at Veena's Veg Nation Do visit her space and check out some delicious recipes.
Veena gave me my 2 secret ingredients - Bell Peppers (Capsicums and Rajma) Usually the stuffed bell peppers are made with minced meat stuffing along with beans, rice etc. Since this is a vegetarian group I have used soya granules keema. For flavouring you can use any fresh herbs like coriander, parsley or basil. This is a complete meal by itself and so delicious. Make and enjoy the dish for lunch or dinner.

Rice:
Boil the rice with salt until three-fourth done. Drain it and set aside. (It gets cooked to perfection while baking the peppers)

Rajma / Kidney Beans:
Soak the kidney beans for 6-7 hours or overnight. Boil it in a pan or pressure cook it with little salt until done. Avoid making it mushy. Drain and set aside.

Soya Mince:
You need - Oil, salt, spices like coriander powder, cumin powder and 1/2 cup sliced onions to cook the soya granules.
Soak the soya mince granules for 1 hour. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a pan and add the sliced onions. Saute to a golden brown colour. Add the salt, spice powders and 1/4 cup water. Simmer until the water is dried up.

Sauce:
Mix together all the sauces mentioned in the list. Add a little salt for flavouring.

To Make the Stuffed Bell Peppers:

In a large bowl, mix together the cooked rice, rajma, soya mince, chopped onion and coriander leaves or any fresh herbs. Stir in a small portion of the prepared sauce to it. Keep the rest of it for later use while baking.

Try to select the same size peppers. Wash them well.

Cut out a thin layer at the top and remove the seeds and membranes carefully. Rinse them from inside.

In a large pan boil water and cook the peppers for 1 minute. The water should cover them

Remove them in a plate and spoon the mixture into them.

Take a baking dish and pour the remaining sauce into it. Place the stuffed peppers on the sauce.

Cover the dish with a foil and bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 to 12 minutes at 250 degrees C. Remove the foil and further bake for 5 more minutes.

Finally top them with a little grated cheese and place them in the oven for a minute or until the cheese melts.

Serve hot immediately from the oven.

Serves 3

Tip: Select the bell peppers of the same size. If they don't stand straight you can cut a tiny portion at the bottom taking care not to make a hole.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

An absolutely delicious and super healthy Greek style lentil salad with feta cheese and fresh and vibrant vegetables.. can be eaten as a snack or light meal.The dressing in Greek salads is always very simple.. just olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic. I like to use herb infused olive oil. You can toss in some fresh herbs like oregano, dill or parsley for Heavenly flavours.

Method:
1. Boil the soaked lentils with a little salt. Drain them and set aside. Take care not to make them mushy. Let them cool.
2. Bell pepper strips can be used raw or you can saute them, bake them or roast them with a drizzle of olive oil.
3. Now take all the vegetables. olives. fresh herbs and lentils in a large bowl.
4. Stir the prepared dressing carefully.
5. Top it with crumbled Feta cheese and freshly crushed black pepper.

Monday, May 15, 2017

Amaranth leaves have a very high nutritional value and are listed among the super foods. In India we make a variety of dishes with these leaves. It is cooked with lentils to make a stir-fry or kneaded with dough to make rotis..it is added to dals .. the list is endless.
Here is a recipe of theplas made with red amaranth. You can saute the leaves like I have done or add the finely chopped ones straight away into the flour. The other add ons can be as per your choice. Knead the dough with yogurt or water.. as you like. These make a perfect lunch box menu and you can carry on your journeys as well. You can serve them with dal, curd and pickle.. They taste so good with chunda.

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into roundels or wedges.
2. Pre-heat the oven at 250 C.
3. In a bowl mix all the ingredients except feta cheese. Add salt carefully as feta is very salty cheese.
4. Spread the herbed potatoes in a baking dish or tray.
5. Add 1 cup of water and roast them for about 30 minutes.
6. Remove the tray and check them. If they need to be cooked more then sprinkle a little more water and bake for 5-7 minutes or until done.
7. Remove the potatoes into a serving dish and top them with crumbled feta cheese while still hot.
Serve immediately.

Friday, May 5, 2017

In Indian homes sweets are made on every special occasion.Today I am posting my 1000 th recipe and it definitely calls for a celebration. Here is a halwa with a difference... Matar ka halwa.

I had been seeing this recipe on the net since a long time and always wondered how would a halwa made from a vegetable taste like. Well I made it and it was absolutely delicious like any other halwas we make. It can also be made into a fudge / barfi by cooking it a little more to get a thicker consistency. In this recipe I have used mawa barfi which makes the job easier. If you are using plain khoya it has to be sauteed in ghee before adding. Also increase the quantity of sugar accordingly.

Ingredients:

Green peas .... 2 cups. (after grinding makes 1 cup)

Sweet mawa ... 1/2 cup

Sugar ............. 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder .. 1/2 tsp

Desi ghee .............. 1/4 cup

Pistachios and almonds ... 1 tbsp each (sliced for garnishing)

Silver warq .. for garnishing.

A piece of dry fruit brittle ... for garnishing.

Method:

1. Grind the green peas coarsely in a grinder.

2. In a pan take desi ghee; and saute the green peas on medium flame until the colour changes and the raw flavour is gone. This may take about 10 - 12 minutes.

3. Add the cardamom powder and sugar. Keep stirring. The sugar leaves water and saute until it is thicker.

4. Now crumble the mawa barfi and mix it. If you are using khoya you have to separately saute it with a little ghee until it gives an aroma. Then you mix it into the halwa and cook further.

5. When the mixture starts leaving sides the halwa is ready.

6. Garnish it with chopped nuts, silver warq and a small piece of brittle and serve warm or cold.

7. Now if you want to make a barfi with this mixture, cook it for few more minutes stirring to get a thicker consistency.

8. Spread it on a greased tray. Sprinkle sliced nuts and garnish with silver warq.You can even add some nuts to it while cooking if you wish.